Ethel Hallow to the Rescue
Ethel Hallow to the Rescue is the twelfth episode of the third series of The Worst Witch (2017 TV Series). It was broadcast on CBBC and CBBC HD on 18 March 2019. It is preceded by The Broomstick Uprising. It is a two-part episode that serves as the finale for series 3. Synopsis When a rambler is mistakingly taken to Cackle’s to conduct Miss Bat and Mr Rowan-Webb’s wedding, the day is set to go wrong. And with Indigo threatening to destroy the academy, it’s Ethel who steps up to save the school until Mildred guesses the truth. Plot Mildred has been looking for Indigo after she ran away, but there is no sign of her. In the great hall, preparations are underway for Miss Bat and Mr Rowan-Webb’s wedding. Miss Drill asks Sybil, Clarice and Beatrice to collect the registrar from the bottom of the mountain, as his broomstick has broken down; she warns them to be careful as Miss Cackle has lifted the invisibility spells for the benefit of non-magical relatives. Ethel claims to be sorry for what she’s done, and tells Mildred that the traditional wedding present from the Grand Wizard to all new couples is a Wishing Star- she suggests that they use the Wishing Star to wish for Indigo to come back. Sybil, Clarice and Beatrice reach the bottom of the mountain, where they find a man sitting by a broken broomstick, and they take him back to Cackle’s. As they leave, a wizard comes out of the bushes and inspects his broken broomstick. At the Academy, Sybil, Clarice and Beatrice realize that the man they collected isn’t actually a wizard, but a non-magical man named Marvin Pringle, and he runs away from them. Mildred and Ethel follow Miss Cackle as she takes the Wishing Star to her office for safe keeping. They decide to sneak into Miss Cackle’s office during the wedding, when no one else is around. Julie arrives for the wedding, having been invited by Miss Bat, and Sybil, Clarice and Beatrice ask her where a non-magical person might go in Cackle’s. They find Marvin trying to make a phone call, but he is interrupted by Mr Rowan-Webb opening the door for his frog-guests, and runs away again. Sybil goes to find the real registrar, but he’s already gone, having caught a ride in a non-magical van. Marvin runs into a cauldron the Mabel is levitating and is knocked out. Miss Hardbroom talks to Miss Bat, telling her that she won’t be coming to the wedding, and that she intends to leave Cackle’s, feeling that she is no longer able to keep teaching now that everyone knows what happened with Indigo. Miss Bat, however, thinks that she should stop making herself feel wretched, and go and find Indigo. Sybil comes back, saying that she can’t find the registrar, so Clarice decides to use the puppet spell she’s been working on to control Marvin and pretend he’s the registrar. The Wedding starts and Miss Bat comes in with Miss Hardbroom as her bridesmaid, dressed in a frilly black dress. Clarice has some trouble getting Marvin to walk in the right direction, but gets him to the stage, although she accidently has him call Miss Hardbroom a ‘bristle brain’ on the way, prompting Sybil to take control. Mildred and Ethel go to Miss Cackle’s office, where Felicity is standing guard. Mildred tells her about Miss Hardbroom being bridesmaid, and offers to keep watch for five minutes so she can go and look. In the office, Ethel opens the chest and takes the Wishing Star, and switches it with a fake. While controlling the ‘registrar’ Sybil starts swatting at a wasp and gets stung by it, and Beatrice takes control to introduce the choir, led by Maud and Enid. Mildred changes her mind about using the Wishing Star, saying it’s not their wish to make. Beatrice complains about Mabel’s ‘boring’ reading, and Julie takes control and recites the wedding vows, but Miss Hardbroom gets suspicious, especially when Julie says her thoughts about Marvin out loud, so they hurriedly get him out of there before Miss Hardbroom finds out. But then the real registrar turns up, leaving everyone wondering who the other guy was. Sybil, Clarice and Beatrice take the spell off Marvin. Mildred offers the Wishing Star to Miss Bat, saying the wish belongs to her and Mr Rowan-Webb, but Miss Bat says she already has her wish- marrying Mr Rowan-Webb- and allows Mildred to keep it. Beatrice flies Marvin back down the mountain, and Julie uses forgetting powder on him- and then introduces herself, telling him how much she likes country walks! Before Mildred can use the Wishing Star, Ethel takes it and uses it for herself. As it’s the last day of term, everyone is getting ready to go home, but Ethel won’t tell Mildred what she used the Wishing Star to wish for. Miss Cackle removes Miss Hardbroom’s confinement spell to allow her to leave the Academy, but Miss Hardbroom says she no longer wants to leave, saying that it is time she tries to make amends with Indigo, when she finds her. A storm suddenly starts up and prevents travel down the mountain, and everyone has to return inside. Indigo then flies out of the storm and starts shooting lightening at the Academy, and says she wants to turn Miss Hardbroom to stone, as return for what she did to Indigo. She then flies off singing the school song. Miss Cackle suggests casting a protection spell over the Academy, but all the ingredients are gone from the potion lab. Felicity then receives messages on her Maglet, saying that girls saw someone go outside, and they think it was Ethel. Ethel fights Indigo, sending her own lightening back at her, and she disappears. It turns out that Ethel used all of Miss Hardbroom’s ingredients to make a protection potion against the lightening. Ethel is now the centre of attention among the girls, but when she criticizes Indigo’s singing, Mildred realizes the she was singing the normal school song, whereas the real Indigo would always sing the ‘naughty’ version she and Joy made up. Julie is preparing for a date with Marvin Pringle when Star and Indigo turn up at her apartment. Julie reschedules her date with Marvin to look after Indigo. Indigo explains that Mildred had told her about her Mum and where she lived, which is how she found Julie. Indigo was looking for her Aunt and Uncle, her only family, but couldn’t find them, and now has nowhere to go. Mildred explains that Miss Bat let her and Ethel use the Wishing Star to bring Indigo back, but that Ethel used it for herself. Mildred realizes that Ethel wished for Indigo to threaten the school so she could save it and become a hero- but in trying to come true, the wish has created a fake Indigo. The Fake Indigo returns, but Ethel doesn’t have any more protection potion. Julie sends Star to Cackle’s with a message for Mildred. Ethel complains about Mildred being the hero and being lantern monitor and not her, and says that she can’t save the school again without protection potion, and suggests that Miss Hardbroom give herself up, but Miss Cackle says that isn’t an option. She then suggests that they could defeat the fake Indigo if they can show it that it isn’t real, but they need the real Indigo to do that. Back at the flat, Indigo asks Julie if she would mind her being a full-time house guest. She then finds the forgetting powder that Julie hadn’t given back after using it on Marvin, and decides to use it to forget that she ever met Joy Hardbroom; however that would also erase her knowledge of magic. Star arrives at Cackle’s, and Mildred gets her mother’s message, that Indigo is with her. To get to Julie’s flat through the storm, Mildred suggests that Miss Hardbroom could try to transfer herself there, though Miss Cackle warns that she could become stuck mid-transfer. As Indigo is about to use the forgetting powder, Miss Hardbroom manages to materialize in the flat and stops her, telling her that Cackle’s needs her, and apologizes for everything that’s happened between them. The fake Indigo reappears to claim Miss Hardbroom, and starts destroying the school. Mildred runs out to stop her, and then Miss Hardbroom appears with the real Indigo. The fake Indigo still insists she’s real, and Mildred asks if she knows the school song- her and Joy’s version. The real Indigo starts singing the song, and Miss Hardbroom, Mildred, Maud and Enid join in, and Miss Hardbroom holds hands with the real Indigo. They banish the fake Indigo and Miss Cackle cathes the Wishing Star magic in her hands. Miss Cackle uses the Wishing Star to restore the Academy, while Miss Hardbroom informs Ethel that she was going to make her lantern monitor next year, but now she won’t be the monitor of anything. Mildred suggests to Miss Cackle that Cackle’s could open its doors to any girl who’s a bit different, who needs a place to go, and who wants to study magic, like her and Indigo. Miss Cackle says that would be going against several hundred years of tradition, but Mildred says Why Not? They might have magic in them, even if you can’t always see it straight away. The show ends with a non-magical schoolgirl being picked on by her classmates, while drawing a witch on a broomstick, only to have a map to Cackle’s appear on the page in front of her. Quotes Miss Drill: Girls, I have a simple task that even you three can't mess up. Clarice: I've been working on something new. I call it the puppet spell. Miss Drill: It is a holiday, Clarice. Clarice: I don't do holidays, Miss Drill! Miss Cackle (to an old lady): You must be Miss Bat's young niece. Mildred: Why the sad face now, Ethel? HB conjured up some terrible punishment for you? Ethel: Worse. She's ignored me. One thing I've never been is ignored. Mildred: You'd better get used to it. Marvin: I'm Marvin Pringle! Librarian, rambler... and, I must warn you, T'ai chi master! Marvin: Shoo! Shoo, frog, shoo! Rowan-Webb: Oi, those are my guests! And this... RIBBITING...this is my best man. And thank you, thank you, thank you for the very tasty wedding gifts. Marvin: (screams) Rowan-Webb: Hm. Must be one of Miss Bat's relatives. Some of them are a tiny bit weird. Miss Bat: Oh, but you'll be at the wedding? Miss Hardbroom: I fear not. I do not believe I am in a position to properly carry out my duties at Cackle's any more. How can I demand the best behaviour from the girls when I myself have behaved unforgivably? Miss Bat: Oh, what a lot of cauldron curd! It's all about what one girl thinks, isn't it? The one who's finally cleared off, just as you wanted, except that's made you feel even more wretched, hasn't it? Miss Hardbroom: Miss Bat... Miss Bat: Today is my wedding day, and I'm allowed to say what I think. And I think you love making yourself feel wretched, Miss Hardbroom, because you accidentally got a girl turned to stone. But if you really want to suffer, I have a suggestion. Find her, bring her back and teach her. Miss Hardbroom: Have you been at the pond water? It was only for the frogs. Sybil: Oh, you're hopeless at it. Give it to me. Clarice: I'm fine, bristle brain! Marvin (under Clarice’s control): (glares at Miss Hardbroom) I'm fine, bristle brain! Julie: You know, he's got a nice smile. Marvin (under Julie’s Control): You know, he has a nice smile, and dimples! Clarice: When you've finished, Miss Hubble? Julie: Did I think that out loud? Algernon: I wonder when we'll be getting our gift from the Great Windbag? Marvin (On Phone): Yes, I, I need every emergency service. There's this castle, you see, and it's full of... well, it's full of... Julie: Why don't you forget all about it? (uses forgetting powder) Julie: Oh, morning. I mean, um, evening. I'm Julie. I love country walks! Miss Cackle: Oh, it's hard to imagine next term you won't be here. Miss Hardbroom: Yes, Ada... Miss Cackle: The girls will miss you, too, although, of course, they won't admit it. Miss Hardbroom: Ada... Miss Cackle: I gather Miss Drill has her eye on your room. Apparently she's thinking about pastel shades. Miss Hardbroom: Ada, I have changed my mind. Miss Cackle: Hecate? Miss Hardbroom: It was something Miss Bat said. I have run away from what happened long enough. I believe it is time I stopped blaming Indigo and started trying to make amends. Miss Cackle: But this is marvellous news! Although, Miss Drill will be disappointed. I think she had already bought the paint. Miss Hardbroom: Ethel Hallow, where is that protection potion? Ethel: I only did one measure, Miss Hardbroom. Miss Hardbroom: You emptied my potions laboratory for that!? Indigo: I found this in your bag when I was getting the money. It's forgetting powder, isn't it? Julie: Yeah, how did you know? Indigo: There is a label stuck on it. Julie: Oh, yeah, I didn't want to get it mixed up with me blusher. Miss Cackle: No-one can get through the storm. Mildred: Star just did, because he's a brilliant flyer. And I think Miss Hardbroom can too, because she's brilliant at transportation spells. Miss Hardbroom: Indigo Moon fled this place to be away from me - what can I possibly say to bring her back? Miss Cackle: The things you have wanted to say for 30 years. Indigo: You couldn't wait to get rid of me before. You gave me magic once, because you needed a friend. When I needed a friend, where were you? Miss Hardbroom: I am sorry! I am sorry. For what happened to you, and that I could not turn it back. And when you returned, I had to face that again every time I saw you. It is true - I cannot be your friend. Not like when we were young together. I am your teacher now, Indigo, and I will not let you down ever again. Miss Hardbroom: Ethel Hallow. I thought I would let you know that I did have you down for Lantern Monitor next year. Obviously, now, you will be monitor of... nothing. Mildred: I was just thinking, Miss Cackle, there must be lots of girls out there who would love to come to a school like this. What do you mean, Mildred? It's just that... Well, Indie and I had such trouble getting in because we weren't the usual type of pupil, and... Miss Cackle: Things have always been done a certain way at Cackle's, for several hundred years. It's traditional, Mildred. We can't just go changing things. Mildred: But why can't we, Miss Cackle? What's to stop us from opening our doors to all the girls out there who feel a bit... well, different? The girls who have magic in them, even if you can't always see it straight away. Gallery WW17-S3-12-1.jpg WW17-S3-12-2.jpg WW17-S3-12-3.jpg WW17-S3-12-5.jpg WW17-S3-12-6.jpg WW17-S3-12-7.jpg WW17-S3-12-10.jpg WW17-S3-12-8.jpg WW17-S3-12-9.jpg WW17-S3-12-4.jpg WW17-S3-13-6.jpg WW17-S3-13-1.jpg WW17-S3-13-3.jpg WW17-S3-13-4.jpg WW17-S3-13-5.jpg WW17-S3-13-7.jpg WW17-S3-13-8.jpg jsh.png|Series 3 finale Category:2017 TV Series